2 million and counting

With a collective sigh of relief, Georgia Ports Authority officials announced Monday that the Savannah-based port had reached its ambitious goal of moving 2 million containers in fiscal year 2006 - made it, in fact, with more than 40,000 boxes to spare.

And so, on the intake of breath, came the next big question.

Did we beat Charleston?

Hold that drum roll - at least for a few more days.

Year-end numbers for rival port Charleston aren't in, although they are expected within the next week or so, said Byron Miller, director of public relations for the South Carolina State Ports Authority.

And then he offered a glimmer of hope.

"I think that, when they do, we're going to find that Savannah was the busier port," he said.

Does that mean Charleston is ready to concede its spot as the fourth-busiest container port in the country to its neighbor to the south?

Not necessarily. PIERS - the Port Import Export Reporting Service - doesn't put its final rankings out until the end of the year. But if GPA's fiscal year numbers beat Charleston's, there will be a lot of crossed fingers in Savannah's maritime community at the end of the year.

Not that Savannah's success has anything to do with luck - unless you consider former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly's definition:

"The harder you work, the luckier you usually get," the Georgia Ports Authority board chairman said Monday at the Ports Authority's first meeting since the close of its fiscal year June 30.

"A lot of people put a lot of hard work into achieving this milestone," Mattingly said.

Gov. Sonny Perdue agreed.

"Georgia's ports contribute thousands of jobs to our economy and are one of the reasons Georgia's business climate is recognized as one of the best in the nation," Perdue said Monday.

Container growth wasn't the only 2006 achievement Georgia Ports had to crow about. Intermodal rail lifts were up 23 percent for the year and the number of auto and machinery units handled grew 8 percent.

Total tonnage cracked the 20 million mark, up 10 percent; and total vessel calls were up 9 percent.

In all, the board pronounced it a banner year, one resulting from GPA's determination to keep the state's deepwater ports on the cutting edge of technology and infrastructure and the state of Georgia's willingness to back that determination financially.

Among FY2006 highlights:

Completion of the first phase of Container Berth 8 at the Garden City Terminal, making it the largest single container terminal in the country.

Approval of an $82.6 million capital improvement program that will include four new Super Post-Panamax cranes at $30.6 million; 15 rubber-tired gantry cranes at $21 million; another $21 million for container yard improvements at Garden City Terminal and $3.5 million for auto processing improvements at Brunswick's Colonel's Island facility.

Approval of a rail expansion program for Brunswick that will increase rail capacity by 100 percent.

Major distribution centers announced by Target and IKEA, adding 4 million square feet of warehouse space at the Savannah International Trade Park, located four miles from Garden City terminal.

Addition of several new shipping lines, and the signing of a 20-year agreement with Maersk Line and a 15-year agreement with CMA CGM.

Locking in these two major ocean carriers for the long run is one way of making sure Georgia's deepwater ports continue to thrive, said GPA Executive Director Doug Marchand.

As for Carolina, "We'll have to see when those comparisons come out at the end of the year," Miller said.

"The one thing we can be sure about now is that we're both very busy ports, and that can only be good for the Southeast."